Chapter 136: I can repay you later if you want~
Chapter 136: I can repay you later if you want~
For the next few minutes, Lucian didn’t say anything, focused on the routes, the first marked route, then the backup, the notes about traffic, the part about possible civilian congestion, staff vehicles, media prediction, the security rotation, then the explanation of why the driver could not reverse at two points if blocked.
He read it all.
Then, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at the map again.
"This road is stupid."
He spoke as he pointed at one section with the pen.
"Explain."
Clara looked down.
"If someone blocks this turn, the car cannot go back, and the side lane is too narrow for the second vehicle to follow. It’s easy to isolate here, it happened yesterday too."
Lucian was now experienced, especially after seeing what happened yesterday. Clara stared at the map, Lucian however, wasn’t done.
"This alley beside it looks like an alternate path, but it ends here."
He tapped another spot further down the road.
"Dead end.
Or looks like one."
"It is blocked by a maintenance gate."
Clara answered.
"Can it be broken?"
Lucian questioned.
"By a normal vehicle? No."
"By me?"
"Yes."
"Well, then it is not a dead end."
Clara stared at him for a second.
Lucian stared back.
Then Clara nodded, making a note on her tablet.
Lucian continued working, Clara answered all the questions he asked, which, to her surprise, were quite accurate. It made Clara look at him differently. Lucian learned things very quickly, he was far sharper than what he usually showed.
"So about thi—"
And just as Lucian was about to ask another question, he paused for a moment, then he looked at the door.
About two seconds later, Sarah walked in with two cups of coffee, she took one look at Lucian sitting in front of the documents and stopped, then, a slow smile appeared on her face and Lucian’s mouth twitched.
"Do not."
Sarah’s smile widened.
"I did not say anything."
"Don’t act like I can’t see you."
Sarah shrugged, she placed one cup near Clara, then she looked at Lucian and—
"Coffee?"
"Yes."
She handed the second cup to Lucian after a few seconds.
"You are my favorite Black."
"How many Blacks do you know?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"One."
Sarah’s mouth twitched. She however, did not let this man get into her head, not when she had the upper hand here.
"You look terrible."
"Stop lying, I never look terrible."
Sarah just snorted at those words, Lucian shrugged, he then turned towards Clara and—
"So, Clara. If this road gets blocked, and this gate can be broken, can we put Sarah’s car through first?"
"Black’s car can pass through if the gate is breached. Ward’s position would need to shift to the left-side vehicle."
Lucian nodded slowly.
"Then do that."
"You are approving the route?"
Clara questioned.
"Only if this gate breach is added as a written emergency option and if the second car stays close enough to follow. Otherwise, we reject it."
"Alright."
Clara nodded after thinking about it for a moment. Lucian leaned back, grinning at Sarah as he did.
Sarah blinked at the interaction between him and Clara, she turned towards him with a shocked look on her face.
"Is he actually doing it properly?"
"For now."
Clara nodded.
"How...
I thought he was too dumb to be included in all this."
Sarah couldn’t believe it.
"I am quite surprised as well."
Clara nodded.
"I am right here, you two."
Lucian complained, but the two women ignored him, so he just snorted. The next second however, his expression changed.
"Whatever, my cheer girl is here. I don’t need you."
"What?"
The women frowned.
And the next second, the door opened again and Evelyn walked in. Lucian told her he would be here at 5:30, he didn’t give her the exact time because he wanted her to sleep a little more and seeing that he was here at 5:20, he was glad he didn’t.
"Miss Starling?"
Both Clara and Sarah frowned, Evelyn, however, just nodded at them.
"Please ignore me."
Then, without caring about the two, her eyes moved to Lucian and when she saw the papers in front of him, her lips curved.
"Working? That’s a good look on you."
"You just laughed at me, didn’t you?"
"Come onnn, how can I?"
Evelyn chuckled, not even trying to hide it.
Lucian only stared at her, Evelyn then walked into the room and—
"What are you doing?"
She questioned.
Lucian lifted one of the papers.
"Protecting you through administrative suffering."
He complained, Evelyn smiled as she walked behind his chair and leaned slightly over his shoulder to look at the map.
"I see."
She spoke as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
Sarah narrowed her eyes when she saw that.
These two...
They seem different than before.
Something happened.
She thought inwardly as she looked at them, at Evelyn’s hand on his shoulder, at Lucian smiling at her without trying to create professional distance like he had been for the last few days.
Clara noticed too.
Though unlike Sarah, she showed nothing.
"What does this mean?"
Evelyn asked as she looked at the document.
"It means if we take you to the studio tomorrow, there are twelve ways everything can go terribly wrong."
"Oh."
"And I have to find the thirteenth before our enemies do."
"That sounds important."
"Of course, I only do important things."
"Righttt."
Evelyn chuckled.
Sarah continued to watch them, she noticed how Evelyn’s voice was even lighter around him, she noticed how all her focus was on him and him alone.
She wasn’t even acknowledging her or Clara’s presence other than the polite initial nod she directed at them.
And while Sarah watched, Evelyn and Lucian continued their conversation—
"What is this?"
Evelyn pointed at a marked red area on the map.
"Possible media cluster."
Lucian answered.
"And this?"
"Blind turn."
"And this black mark?"
"Place where I am legally not allowed to break a wall unless Clara approves it."
Evelyn finally looked at Clara.
"Will you approve it?"
"If necessary."
Clara answered without a change in her expression and Evelyn turned back to Lucian.
"See? It is not so bad."
Lucian stared at her.
"You are enjoying yourself, aren’t you?"
"Of course.
Watching you suffer feels good.
I feel avenged."
That was the first time Sarah wholeheartedly agreed with her.
As for Lucian—
He only stared at the woman in front of him and—
"I risked my life to save yours and this is how you repay me?"
At those words, Evelyn leaned into his ears and whispered softly.
"I can repay you later if you want~"
And Lucian froze.